APPENDIX 1 CITY OF MISSISSAUGA BUS RAPID TRANSIT (BRT) – MISSISSAUGA SEGMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN Executive Summary McCORMICK RANKIN May 2003 Introduction This executive summary highlights the findings and recommendations of a comprehensive update of the Mississauga Transitway approved under the Environmental Assessment Act in 1992. The Transitway was proposed as a fully grade-separated roadway for exclusive transit operations with on-line stations similar to rail transit systems. This concept is referred to as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The Ridgeway Drive to Hurontario Street section is illustrated below. Figure 1 –Mississauga Transitway Proposal: Ridgeway Drive to Hurontario Street Six stations were proposed on the Transitway west of the City Centre with park ‘n’ ride lots being provided at the two most westerly stations. Access ramps were developed at most of the stations to permit buses to enter and leave the facility. East of Mavis Road, the Transitway crossed Highway 403 in tunnel to connect with the City Centre station. The Hurontario to Renforth section of the proposed Transitway is illustrated below. Figure 2 –Mississauga Transitway Proposal: Hurontario Street to Renforth Drive From Hurontario Street, the Transitway continued on the south side of Highway 403, then adjacent to Eastgate Parkway, then parallel to the north side of Eglinton Avenue terminating at a station at Renforth Drive south of LBPIA. There were nine stations proposed east of the City Centre; several with park ‘n’ ride and bus access. Since 1992, there have been a number of land use changes and policy decisions which have occurred that have affected the funding and the development of the project. However, recent announcements by the Province suggest that significant financial assistance maybe forthcoming shortly. This possibility underlined the need for the City, in conjunction with GO Transit, to be in a position to respond quickly to the opportunity with an up-to-date proposal. BRT Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan – Executive Summary 2 The Purpose of the Investigation The focus of this investigation was: · To update the passenger demand forecasts to ensure consistency with current forecasts of development, other rapid transit proposals and selected ridership targets; · To update the past scope of work for the Transitway including station development to reflect the changes in the adjacent development, current design standards and adopted road network planning; · To undertake a value-engineering analysis of the approved Transitway to identify potential economies; and · To prepare a comprehensive staging plan for the implementation of the facility together with the preparation of a sound base line budget recognizing the planned construction schedule. A Key Element of the City’s Transit Strategy The City recently approved the “Mississauga Transit Strategy – 2002” to provide a revised overall direction for transit planning within the City. The Strategy focused its recommendations on major transit corridors, community transit services, GO Transit integration and marketing. The Strategy emphasized establishing targets for ridership growth to respond to increased traffic congestion and the City’s sustainable growth objectives. Currently, the per capita ridership rate in Mississauga is approximately 40 annual transit trips per capita. Preliminary analysis suggests that higher rides per capita are possible with significant service enhancements. A key influence on attracting higher ridership is providing reliable schedules and system travel times that are competitive with auto use to access the major travel destinations within the GTA. Consistent with the experience in other municipalities, a separate right-of-way transit facility is an essential component in achieving these aggressive ridership objectives. With the Transitway in place, the analysis conducted in this investigation forecasts a conservative 20% increase in transit ridership, equivalent to an annual rate of 48 transit trips per capita. The population within a 20-minute travel time of the City Centre and a 30-minute travel time of the TTC Islington station would increase from 64,000 to 140,000 residents. A Priority Component of the GO BRT Network In December 2002, GO Transit announced a proposal to introduce a 100 km BRT Spine facility extending from the Oakville GO Station to the Pickering GO Station. The rationale for the initiative was to arrest the trend of increasing urban sprawl and traffic congestion by complementing the existing radial commuter rail and subway systems with a circumferential rapid transit system to serve the suburb to suburb travel demand. The proposal is illustrated below. BRT Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan – Executive Summary 3 Figure 3 – GO BRT Proposal City of Mississauga Section of the GO BRT proposal There are several examples of BRT already in operation that demonstrate the BRT concept has merit including Ottawa, Pittsburgh, Houston, Brisbane and Adelaide. BRT proposals are currently under development in Winnipeg and Edmonton. In its most developed form, BRT operates on an exclusive two-lane roadway with on-line stations completely isolated from general traffic flows. BRT may also operate on freeway shoulder lanes and in arterial bus lanes. Intersection priority may be provided through various forms of signal priority or by limited grade separation. Because the BRT bus can operate both on and off the busway, the busway can be built in discontinuous sections linked by bus lanes or other priority treatments such as signal pre- emption and queue jumps on arterial roads or freeways. This means that the busway can be built incrementally, with priority being given to the construction of the busway sections that produce the highest initial benefit and rate of return. The typical BRT operating configuration consists of a high frequency all-stops service running the full length of the corridor and stopping at each station. Passengers access this service as they would an LRT service by walking or cycling to the stations, transferring from feeder buses and by using park-and-ride and kiss-and-ride facilities. Supplementing the all-stops service are other high frequency bus routes that typically pick up and drop off the majority of their passengers at on-street locations away from the busway corridor. The most common example of this type of service is an express or limited stop bus route that picks up in a residential community, travels to the busway and then operates express or skip stop on the busway before exiting to serve an employment centre. This type of BRT Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan – Executive Summary 4 operation offers direct no transfer service between origins and destinations well beyond walking distance of the actual busway, making BRT an ideal technology for suburban operations. The concept plan for the initial Spine Line and connecting links builds on previously identified projects and knits them into an integrated system. Within Mississauga, the proposal has incorporated the approved Mississauga Transitway facility in its entirety. The 2011 peak hour demand attracted to the GO BRT network section through Mississauga ranges up to 9,800 passengers per hour in the peak direction immediately west of Renforth Drive. Accordingly, this section represents a high priority for the initial stages of the GO BRT network. Modifications to Project Scope Have Reduced Costs The Transitway proposal was examined in detail firstly to identify refinements in the alignment and infrastructure to reduce costs and impacts on adjacent development and secondly to update the design standards to current practice. In general, the overall concept adopted in 1992 remains intact. The recommended changes focus on the reduction of tunnel sections, modified station development proposals and the interim use of the bus shoulder bypass lanes provided on Highway 403 between Erin Mills Parkway and Mavis Road rather than an exclusive right-of-way facility. The total capital costs resulting from the alignment and design standard changes are compared below with the costs presented in the 1992 EA Study. Capital Cost Comparison ($Millions) EA Proposed Guideway Cost $246.8 $161.1 Station Cost $96.1 $33.8 Total Construction Cost $342.9 $194.9 Project Management (10%) $34.3 $22.4 Design (10%) $34.3 $19.5 Project Contingency (20%) $68.5 $39.0 Total Capital Cost $480.0 $275.7 The major modifications to the EA proposal are illustrated in Figure 4 and are highlighted in the remainder of this section. BRT Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan – Executive Summary 5 Figure 4 BRT Mississauga Segment Implementation Plan – Executive Summary 6 · The Ridgeway Station has been shifted to an at-grade location on the east side of Ridgeway Drive on the south edge of the Hydro Corridor. It is assumed that this will be the western terminus of the Transitway. The revised design incorporates a bus turn-a round and layover area for Transitway buses as well as a ramp connection to Ridgeway Drive for local service access. A future westerly extension of the facility would be achieved by extending the at-grade Transitway under an elevated Ridgeway Drive. A small 200-space park and ride facility is provided for local use. · The EA proposal originally located the BRT to the north of the Hydro corridor to reduce costs has been modified to reflect the change in land use to residential from industrial/commercial. In order to reduce the construction and operating impact of the Transitway, the facility has been realigned to the south edge of the Hydro Corridor. In addition, the proposal provides for 200 park ‘n’ ride spaces at this location with protection in the proposed design to expand the number of park and ride spaces in the future. · Between Winston Churchill Boulevard and Erin Mills Parkway, the Transitway follows the same alignment as proposed in the 1992 EA Study. At Erin Mills, a 200-space park and ride lot is proposed to be added to this station. East of Erin Mills Parkway direct bus only ramps connect the Transitway to the eastbound and westbound bus bypass shoulders on Highway 403.